


The Advice Box

by lusteralliance



Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Advice, Gen, he is clueless but does well with it, heehee hoohoo am monky, mbyleth is so fun to write, pre-release
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-25
Updated: 2019-07-25
Packaged: 2020-07-19 14:15:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,306
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19975438
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lusteralliance/pseuds/lusteralliance
Summary: To keep himself busy, Byleth sorts through the students' advice box in hopes of solving their problems.





	The Advice Box

**Author's Note:**

> byleth does his best

On free days, Byleth slept in. 

Often, he slept _too_ in, if there was such a thing; one notable incident consisted of him sleeping nearly an entire day, and the healers believed he had gone into a coma.

Thus, he made it his life’s work never to have free days, and to keep himself in a perpetual rhythm of healthy stress.

Manuela often asked him to tea, and he would often politely decline; but if he had no classes to teach, he would ask _her_ to tea. Of course she would accept, and he would be squirming in his seat for a good five hours. That was the way he preferred it.

If the other professors were busy, Byleth sorted through the advice box. The students often came to him in the form of papers and quills for their pressing questions, if they were too nervous to approach him directly. Of all the academy’s faculty, Byleth was the most honest and trustworthy, according to the students he had helped—thus, students from every house had come to him for aid.

Today was a free day, and Byleth was exhausted. He woke at his usual time (before the sky abandoned its dark blue cloak and donned a paler color) and got dressed, got undressed and took a cold shower when he forgot to take one before, and got dressed again. He picked up his books and his papers and left his living quarters. Then, he returned to his living quarters and made his bed before leaving once more.

Byleth hadn’t checked the advice box in quite a while, so he wasn’t wholly surprised to see the wooden bin on his desk nearly bursting with slips of parchment. 

The young teacher arranged his belongings neatly and then sat down to work, picking up the box and placing it in front of him.

The first slip had neat, legible handwriting with an air of dignity to their lines and curves. Byleth recognized the scrawl as belonging to Edelgard.

“Hello, Teacher,

I hope I am not interrupting your busy schedule. If I am, please do not hesitate to place this note aside and attend to more important matters.

Sincerely, Edelgard von Hresvelg.”

It seemed Edelgard had forgotten to mention her problem in its entirety. In her pursuit for perfection, she often left out many an important element in her work.

Byleth fished out another note, the handwriting on which most definitely belonged to Hilda. It was loopy and the dots of her “i”s were large and distracting.

“Dear Professor:

Father is asking me what I want for my birthday. He offered either a snow white horse or a silver necklace with a pretty butterfly charm. My dilemma: I want both!! What should I do??? Please help!

From Hilda.”

Byleth folded and tore a similarly-shaped slip of paper from a sheet he had lying around and dipped the tip of his jay tail quill—according to Ignatz, blue jays represented truthfulness—into his inkwell. Then, he started to write.

“Hilda,

A horse isn’t something you can buy while roaming a marketplace with pocket money. A horse is a living creature, and even more importantly, a companion. It will breathe the same air and run the same plains as you, and it will require much care and company to earn its trust. A horse is a magnificent thing that will surely benefit you in the future as well as the present, but it is also a challenge.

Recently, your marks in the stables have been quite low. If you are unprepared to care for the pegasi and the horses at the monastery, I believe you may be unprepared to care for a horse of your own.

However, while a necklace’s beauty is eternal, its glamour is short-lived. And I have seen you often in the halls with a new piece of jewelry every day...but it may just turn out to be the safest option. Ask your father for the necklace, or propose another potential gift.

Signed, Professor Byleth.”

Byleth, pleased with his work, folded up his response before the ink could dry and had to write it all over again.

The next slip he picked up was illegible, so he tossed it.

The one after, however, belonged to Edelgard again.

“Hello, Teacher!

Please forgive my previous note. I seem to have omitted my reason for asking your assistance. I am growing worried for Linhardt; he seems to be sleeping more and more, and I’m afraid his marks may suffer. I’ve employed Caspar to keep an eye out for him, but I still am unsure of how he will fare in the approaching exams. Will you please suggest to me how I ought to help him?

Sincerely, Edelgard von Hresvelg.”

Byleth folded and ripped a new piece of paper.

“Edelgard,

Thank you for your concern over Linhardt and his studies. However, I believe it should be him who is contacting me and asking for help. His ability to fall asleep anywhere and at any time is quite impressive, but he is doing surprisingly well in his courses. There is no need to worry for him academically.

As for what you can do, you can suggest that he should talk to me, if my teaching is contributing to his sleepiness.

Signed, Professor Byleth.”

Byleth waited until the ink was dried before he folded up his response and placed it on his desk, to be distributed to the students later in the day.

He unfolded another slip.

“Hi, Teacher,

I want to cook something for Professor Jeritza, but he won’t talk to me! I tried asking everyone if they knew his favorite food, and Felix said salt fish, but I think he was joking around. Do you know?

\- Annette.”

“Annette,

I do believe his favorite food is in fact salt fish.

Signed, Professor Byleth.”

“Good ~~day~~ morning, Professor Byleth,

I’m having trouble with the history lesson about the ~~church~~ construction of the Church of Seiros. Can I please get some help ~~?~~ after lunch someday?

Thank you,

~~Bernadeta~~ Bernadetta von Varley.”

“Bernadetta,

Of course. Feel free to come whenever you’d like.

Signed, Professor Byleth.”

“Hey, Teach!

I keep tryna get Dimitri and Edelgard to have tea with me, but they keep saying no. They used to come with me all the time! But not anymore! What’s up with them?

Claude”

“Claude,

Exams are in less than two days.

Signed, Professor Byleth.”

The advice box kept Byleth busy until sunset. He leaned his head back to stretch his neck, and he heard a soft knock on the door from across the deserted lecture hall.

“Come in,” he called.

In came Annette, holding a small plate of food in her hands. Byleth suddenly remembered that he hadn’t eaten the entire day. 

“Hi, Teacher! I, um, I made pudding for dessert today. I didn’t see you in the dining hall, so I looked around the monastery for you! Here.” Annette hurried over, her gray blue eyes excited as she placed her creation on Byleth’s desk. On the little white plate sat a small portion of chocolate pudding, which wobbled this way and that whenever Annette shifted the plate’s position.

“Oh, thank you, Annette, that’s very nice of you.” Byleth smiled at the student, whose cheeks flushed with embarrassment, and he picked up the note she had for her. “I have something to give you as well.”

Annette gasped and took it eagerly. “Thank you, Teacher!”

“Of course.” The orange-haired young woman danced off between the rows of tables, humming as she read the note. She stopped at the door, then turned back.

“...It is?”

Byleth nodded.

Annette blinked, her expression one of bewilderment, then disappeared behind the heavy door and out into the hall beyond it.

Byleth gladly ate the pudding, then fell asleep at his desk.


End file.
